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1:11
Joined: Oct 15, 2010
Posts: 449
Location: The Desert
Audio files: 101
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 Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:11 am Post subject:
 Looking for a New Mixer
Subject description: Have any advice on the Mixer Market? |
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i'm in the market for a new mixer, and thought y' all would be the best folks to ask.
i used to have a Behringer back in the day, while it was alright, it still had some hum or hiss to it. Just not as clear as i hoped for. This was in the 90's, so i'm wondering if maybe there were improvements on the brand.
These days, i'd rather spend $ on quality pieces that will stand the test of time, both sonically and physically.
It will mostly be used as an input to a MacBook Pro for recording, though i'd still like to use it on stage. If USB or FireWire outputs offer a cleaner signal, thats a feature i'd enjoy, but still would like xlr for stage.
i like the idea of onboard effects, but not mandatory. Ins will mostly be electrical instruments, a few mics, a guitar, some line level. Very thick textures are going to be running through it, so EQ quality is huge.
Number of channels isn't set in stone, looking for quality over #, but of course, the more the merrier!! Need at the very least 8st. Price range, $200-$600
Related question: Does each channel contribute to the overall S/N ratio? ie, the more strips, the more noise?
i've been looking at the Behringer 2222xusb, but have hesitations.
Thanks for any suggestions or experiences.
=1111= |
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abstraktor
Joined: Apr 27, 2009
Posts: 189
Location: glasgow, scotland
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:07 pm Post subject:
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| have a look at the mackie onyx range (firewire) or the mackie proFX (usb) -might be just what you need and sound quality far out performs any behringer gear - logic pro friendly too. |
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GovernorSilver
Joined: Apr 26, 2004
Posts: 1163
Location: Washington DC Metro
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 1:36 pm Post subject:
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I'm upgrading from Behringer myself. My little Behringer served its purpose but the scratchy pots are too risky for live performance now - when they scratch, they are LOUD.
I'm looking at Mackie mixers too. I'm not even bothering with Behringer. My Behringer lasted 2 years before the scratching began.
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1:11
Joined: Oct 15, 2010
Posts: 449
Location: The Desert
Audio files: 101
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:13 pm Post subject:
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ive been seriously considering the Onyx's. Anytime i've used a Mackie, there was something that impressed me.
Any experiences on how the Onyx's work with Live?
edit: the ProFx12 is looking like a good option, but is there an advantage going over FireWire above USB? |
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EdisonRex
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Joined: Mar 07, 2007
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:31 am Post subject:
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but is there an advantage going over FireWire above USB?
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That all depends on which firewire, and how many USB devices you're using, and personally I think the computer and OS make a difference in this too.
FW800 on a Macbook Pro works great. I use a MOTU Ultralite on firewire, and have more or less filled up the USB ports with other stuff on that machine. I went with that over an Onyx because I didn't really need the physical faders and the footprint of the Ultralite is smaller than any other 10 input mixer I know of.
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DrJustice
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2005
Location: Morokulien
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:37 am Post subject:
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| 1111 wrote: | ...Related question: Does each channel contribute to the overall S/N ratio? ie, the more strips, the more noise?...
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Yes, but in the case of good quality mixers with few channels it's nothing to worry about unless many channels has the input gain cranked up. As always, good gain staging is key.
It may also be worth checking out the Allen & Heath ZED series mixers. I have a ZED-14 that I really like so much that I'm going to buy more ZEDs (need more channels).
@ Edison : I got myself an Ultralite mk3 Hybrid after you spoke warmly of it in the chat. It works fine with firewire on a Dell laptop (not TI FW chip)with Windows 7 64bit 
DJ
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1:11
Joined: Oct 15, 2010
Posts: 449
Location: The Desert
Audio files: 101
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 7:30 am Post subject:
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This is where it gets a lil tricky. i've both speeds of FW. The 400 is on a PC using XP, and the 800 a MacBook Pro. Actually, i could/should upgrade the FW on the PC....
Thanx for answering the question about channels/noise, Doc. i ask cuz i seen a used desk for what im looking to spend, but it seemed too many channels for now.
The Zed14 is right in the price range. i like that it has 4 aux sends. Hmmm. i think i need to find one in real life and check it out.
Are the new digital mixers much more transparent than the old analog mixers i'm accustomed to?
Appreciate the input alot, thank you. Its always a crappy feeling when you spend good money on bad equipment! |
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DrJustice
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2005
Location: Morokulien
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject:
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| 1111 wrote: | | ...Are the new digital mixers much more transparent than the old analog mixers i'm accustomed to?... |
That depends on how much "much" is... You can get a slightly cleaner signal with a digital mixer, but they also have their own set of problems, just like the analogue ones have. E.g., digital mixers clips/limits suddenly/brutally when signals gets to hot, and when signals are too low you risk missing a few bits of resolution (yet again, gain staging is important). Of course, you also get additional analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue stages. I believe much of the attraction with digital mixers are in the flexibility, automation and interfacing facilities.
In the end it's a personal preference. With good mixers and good gain staging, both analogue and digital will sound just fine. The way you like to work should probably be a determining factor in choosing between them.
One thing to note is that lately some manufacturers has started making hybrid mixers which are essentially analogue mixers with digital I/O on every channel. E.g. Mackie Onyx 1640i and Allen & Heath ZED-R16. They may seem expensive, but you do get a lot of audio I/O which would otherwise cost quite a bit of money.
DJ
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1:11
Joined: Oct 15, 2010
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Location: The Desert
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:40 pm Post subject:
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Ah, i see. Thanks for clearing that question DJ, thats a good thing to know. Now all i need to do is go and do some real life comparisons.
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Octahedra
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
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Location: Cheshire, UK
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 9:33 am Post subject:
Re: Looking for a New Mixer
Subject description: Have any advice on the Mixer Market? |
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| 1111 wrote: | | i used to have a Behringer back in the day, while it was alright, it still had some hum or hiss to it. Just not as clear as i hoped for. This was in the 90's, so i'm wondering if maybe there were improvements on the brand. |
I 've found a different problem with Behringer from what anyone else has mentioned here so far. My computer's sound card input needs high levels when I'm recording, and when I used my Behringer Xenyx mixer boost the signals, the resulting recording sounded very soft, maybe even a bit dynamically compressed (but not clipped or anything that drastic). I went back to my old Spirit (which is a pain because it takes up 4 times as much table space).
The Xenyx is now serving well as a monitoring mixer when I compose, but it seems to be unuseable for recording with my particular setup...
Gordon |
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